The Human Rights Initiative (HRI) works across issues and geographies to promote a comprehensive vision of human rights which recognises that a diverse and powerful human rights movement is critical to the ongoing struggle of all people to attain our rights.

Given the challenging context the human rights movement faces, the Human Rights Initiative supports efforts of the movement to reinvigorate itself and adapt to this context by expanding the way it advances rights. Across issues and geographies, we support the movement to engage directly with the public to elevate support for human rights values, prioritize the voices of activists rooted in and able to mobilise communities, and ensure greater solidarity across rights struggles and social movements.

We envision a human rights movement grounded in communities, partnering with actors from within and outside the movement, communicating its message with impact, and able to push back against the growing politics of fear.

High-profile terror attacks highlight the need for states to ensure security, but national security measures can weaken basic human rights protections such as the right to due process, liberty, privacy, and life, and restrict the space for civil society activism, public protest and dissent. Often those most affected by these policies are racial, ethnic and religious minorities, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

The Human Rights Initiative seeks to prevent the erosion of human rights in the name of security, underscoring the important role of democratic institutions, minority voices, civic activism and dissent in creating safe and open societies. We seek to support civil society to hold state and non-state actors to account for the systemic erosion of rights and freedoms in the name of national security.

HRI seeks a Program Officer to support the development of grant-making strategies to help respond to the needs of the human rights movement in confronting the erosion of rights in the name of national security.

Utilising your knowledge and experience of the intersection of security and rights, as well as your strong analytical skills and capacity to build trusting relationships with actors in the field, you will help build an interesting and impactful portfolio that straddles several issue and rights areas.

To apply, please visit our website and upload a cover letter and a CV, as one document.

Closing date: 13 December 2017.

We are strengthened by the diversity of our colleagues across the Open Society Foundations, and we welcome and actively seek applications from people of all cultures, backgrounds, and experiences.